Initial Impressions: The Color of Lightning, by Paulette Jiles - November 2019

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

Comments on this board should be written with the assumption that not all readers have finished the book. Please avoid revealing any spoilers.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Reminder the audio is on Hoopla.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

I'm planning on reading this one. I love Paulette Niles ever since I read News of the World.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

I'll be listening to this one but not right away.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Tom, I’m finishing up your mod choice, one more commitment then to this one. I have the book and the audio both ready to go. Diane, that’s the only book of hers that I’ve read and loved it.

[Cathrine ☯️]

I read this a couple years ago I think. News of the World impressed me so much that I continued not long after with this one and would still like to get to Enemy Women. Will follow along and try and comment as memory serves.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Cathrine, is this the one with Captain Kidd in a small role?

[Cathrine ☯️]

Yes Diane

[Tracey]

This is the first book choice of the group I have been able to get from my library so I am joining in with this one. Yay 😀
I am listening to it and am a third of the way through. Really enjoying it so far, although the subject matter is not what one call ‘enjoyable’. It is well written and engaging. Some reviews I read said it was a bit slow with lots of descriptive passages, but I really like the slowness of it. It makes the story more believable and I love the author’s writing style.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Tracey the audio is easy to follow? I’m going to jump back and forth between book and audio. Hopefully will start late next week.

[Book Concierge]

I read this back in 2013. Won't be re-reading it for this discussion, but once the "final impressions" thread is up I'll post a link to my review.

I liked that Jiles based this work of fiction on a real person and his life.

[Janice (JG)]

I love this author. This novel proves her dedication and integrity as a researcher for the history of the state of Texas. These characters, altho' presented fictionally, were real people involved in the circumstances of the times (Indian Wars). Reviewers like to compare her to Cormac McCarthy, but I think she is a far more eloquent writer than McCarthy, which proves her background in poetry. I'd liken her more to MacKinlay Kantor and his incredible treatment of the historical fiction novel Spirit Lake.

[Tracey]

Laura wrote: "Tracey the audio is easy to follow? I’m going to jump back and forth between book and audio. Hopefully will start late next week."

Yes I think it is. There are long descriptive passages which think are well done in the audio.,

[Tracey]

Janice (JG) wrote: "I love this author. This novel proves her dedication and integrity as a researcher for the history of the state of Texas. These characters, altho' presented fictionally, were real people involved i..."

Ah, I can see her poetical background in her descriptive passages. I love the writing of those who are poets at heart.

[Cathrine ☯️]

Link to my thoughts on this one (no spoilers):

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thanks for the audio heads up on Hoopla Laura. I may listen to sections again if I can find the time.

[Lawyer, "Moderator Emeritus"]

I read this one a while back. It's a marvelous read. If you read News of the World, you'll love this one. Great choice, Laura.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

Lawyer wrote: "I read this one a while back. It's a marvelous read. If you read News of the World, you'll love this one. Great choice, Laura."

Glad to hear it. I loved News of the World.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

These first pages are very very brutal. For those who have read this, will the reader get a break from this horrible violence or is it throughout the entire book?

[Cathrine ☯️]

Laura I referenced that in my review. As I recall it does break as the story shifts into Britt's search and Samuel Hammond's conflict of conscience.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

I got about 20% in today, and yes, life is brutal for the kidnapped women and children, but the initial violence gives way to hardship and hunger. Jiles narrative is mesmerizing, I'm just being pulled into the story.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

It was so graphic at first. I haven’t read any reviews because I like going into books cold turkey. I’m hanging in there. The beginning reminded me of the western, the searchers, but even more graphic.

Yes, diane, I’m at chapter 5 and I’m drawn in.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

I think the true story of Britt Johnson and his family are the basis for The Searchers. Of course, Hollywood decided to portray them as white people, but it's considered to be one of John Wayne's best movies. I never read the book, but saw the movie. Paulette Jiles told us that when we saw her in Savannah.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Interesting! I’ve never seen movie but book is very good.

[Cathrine ☯️]

I love that movie. It is one of the best westerns IMHO. That closing scene with John Wayne in the doorway was genius. There was a documentary (or something like it) about the film making and JW's son had some interesting things to say about it and his dads friendship with Ford. He had a small part in it as well; the young army "boy" sent to deliver a message near the end of the film.
Cynthia Ann Parker is the real life person Natalie Wood's character was loosely based on. I've read quite a lot about her story. Her son was Quanah Parker, the Comanche leader who was the the last chief of the Kwahadi band and later the main spokesman and peacetime leader for Native Americans until he died. He was quite an interesting man as well.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

For such disciplined people, it seems that the tribes are pushovers with their children. Anyone have or know the history of this?

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

The story of the captives is almost unbelievable, but the different tribes were very different in almost everything they did. I've really been drawn into the story of Britt and his search for his family. The story of the Quaker in charge of Indian Affairs for the Commanche and Kiowa tribes was less interesting at first, but is eye-opening, to say the least. The descriptions of the landscape are almost poetic. Really loving this book.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

The treatment of the prisoners is very similar to scenes in The Son. I wonder how the Comanche's treatment of prisoners compared with what other tribes did. A few of my ancestors were captured by natives but that was in New England and much earlier than the 19th century.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

Didn't Britt Johnson play a cameo in News of the World? I think Ms. Jiles mentioned it when I saw her speak.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Tom I too remember similar scenes in The Son.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Yes Tom. He and his son, Jube were talking to the Captain about Joanna's return to her family. I remember a discussion about how hard it was for children to live among civilized people again. Apparently the Captain has a cameo in this one too, but I haven't gotten that far yet.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Regarding Indian children: I'm at a point where Jube describes what it was like. Indian children were not spanked or disciplined at all. They were allowed complete freedom. It was a paradise for kids, especially boys, who could ride horses and hunt small animals and play war games. The girls had to help with women's work. They were all cosseted and petted and spoiled.

[Cathrine ☯️]

Yes, think about all that strict European puritanism and schooling out on the plains and working the fields and unending housework. To kids the freedom from discipline must have been heaven once they were assimilated into tribal life.

The author mentions this book which I read. Very eye-opening.
The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Oh, Cathrine! I haven't even finished this one yet, and now have added Captured and Empire of the Summer Moon to my list. Curse you! But damn, this is an interesting subject.

[Cathrine ☯️]

Hahaha Diane. It is one of my most favorite subjects. I'm drawn to Native American/First Nation culture and lore like a fly on buffalo chips.

[Lawyer, "Moderator Emeritus"]

Diane wrote: "Oh, Cathrine! I haven't even finished this one yet, and now have added Captured and Empire of the Summer Moon to my list. Curse you! But damn, this is an interesting subject."

Empire of the Summer Moon is absolutely fascinating. S.C. Gwynne hit this one out of the park. The primary mistake made by government officials was viewing the Comanche as a united tribe. Nothing could have been further from the facts. The Comanche were independent roving tribes. Hence the problem with securing a treaty with the "Comanche Nation." Gwynne also is spot on concerning the development of the Texas Rangers.

[Lawyer, "Moderator Emeritus"]

Diane wrote: "I think the true story of Britt Johnson and his family are the basis for The Searchers. Of course, Hollywood decided to portray them as white people, but it's considered to be one of John Wayne's b..."

The Searchers by Alan LeMay was published in 1955. LeMay was a noted author of western fiction. Re: the movie--The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend by Glenn Frankel. Excellent!

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Both in this book and The Searchers, I keep thinking “how did they find anyone?” We are talking about a lot of ground and the language barriers on top of that.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

I thought the same thing, Laura. You're talking about vast areas of plains, how did they even know which direction to take? I know they had landmarks, and stayed near water sources, but still. I get lost with marked highways and signs, so their skills were impressive. As far as I'm concerned, GPS is the best invention of the century.

[Cathrine ☯️]

Having just returned recently from a trip to the wide open Southwest I can second Diane's comment about GPS.

[Libby]

Just started this one, have the book from the library and listening on hoopla. Enjoying everyone’s comments and believe that perhaps this book may stretch my reading list, too. This is my first book by this author. The violence at the beginning was particularly graphic, hard to listen to, so I’m glad to learn it becomes more hardship than violent. I haven’t seen The Searchers (movie) or read the book, but now I’d like to watch the movie at least.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

I cannot imagine the frustration and heartbreak of finding these children and when found, they are not the same as they were when they were taken. They adapted to their new life and buried their former.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Doesn't the same thing happen today when kids who were kidnapped and abused, sometimes for years, get returned to their family? Whatever the kids did to adapt and survive turn them into different people, and the parents just want their children back, expecting them to be the same.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Yes, scary and sad.

[Suzy]

Weighing in late here - I listened to this a couple of years ago after loving News of the World. I've enjoyed reading everyone's comments and feel much the same. The violence was hard to listen to. I also was more engaged with the story of Britt Johnson's family and neighbors - the capture, their life as captives and the search - than I was in the Samuel the Quaker part of the story. But overall I loved this book/story. My sweetheart is from Weatherford, Texas, so it I enjoyed talking to him about this/his area.

Am I wrong in thinking that The Searchers is based on the life of Cynthia Ann Parker and not this story of Britt Johnson's family? Empire of the Summer Moon is on my tbr - must get to it!